This is exactly what I want to do with the Fit, except take my wife, not your fiance! I have two sea kayaks and two mountain bikes. I've read posts here where you can fit two mountain bikes in the back of the Fit easily. Yakima makes a rack for the Fit that will hold my Kayaks. Problem is the kayaks are 15-1/2 ft. long and will extend past the back of the Fit. I would not be able to get the bikes out of the hatch without taking the kayaks off the roof because the hatch swings up and would hit the boats. The Mini has barn doors that swing open to the side and wouldn't interfere with roof mounted items. The Clubman can fit one bike for sure, didn't have the other with me at the dealer when I took this photo but it looks like I could get another inside -


Now if I could get two mountain bikes in the back seat area of the Fit using tall mode that would make the decision more difficult.

 

The Clubman does require premium fuel but I did a comparison and the overall costs are minimal. I put about 12k miles on my car every year and this is what I found using CR's combined mileage average -

$3/gal reg - $3.20/gal premium
Fit - $1091
Clubman - $1163

$5/gal - $5.40/gal premium
Fit - $1818
Clubman - $1891

Less than a $75 difference for annual fuel consumption.

The idling issue is specific to the S model MINI. The cold start issue that has been attributed to cheap gas has been resolved by MINI with a new part for cold weather drivers.

 

C5, I'm not sure how CR got such good ratings. They are derived from owner surveys and since the ownership of the Clubman is so much smaller than the Fit it may be skewed. However since 2007 MINI has sourced it's motors and transmissions from different companies and since that time the cars have gotten markedly better scores, in particular the base models.

 

MINI engines are made by Peugeot. Those of us who have been around for a while remember Peugeot automobiles in the US, and they were not impressive. Probably unfair to hold a 40 year prejudice against them, I suppose. Beer Baron should try showing up at a local Honda dealer with his two mountain bikes, to attempt a loading experiment. The recent decline in oil prices has slowed down Fit sales, so the dealer might be willing to help a bit more than usual. The GE has a few inches of stretch relative to the earlier GD Fit, and in theory has somewhat more cargo room.

 

Cool. I'm glad it helped. Like mentioned above, the GE has even a bit more room.
I am considering two things though to tackle the opening hatch w/ 'yaks problem (although, with the tapered body of the kayak on its side, the hatch goes just above 90 degrees, and doesn't hit, but w/ a 15 footer that could be different.
One is the strap on tailgate bike rack, which is between 50 and 100 bucks from the local bike shop. I've already determined that it fits, since it's a universal kit. The padding looks good enough, but I'd most probably wrap the contact points with towels or more foam since the factory paint is so delicate. The other option is getting the 70 dollar receiver hitch to install, then another 150 for a 2 bike rack that mounts to the hitch. More pricey, but eliminates the need to worry about straps coming loose on the hatch or scuffing the paint, etc. Either one of these would solve the problem of accessing your bikes w/out having to remove the yaks.

 

I know two mountain bikes will fit in the Fit cargo area with the seat down. It would be ideal for me if two bikes could fit in the back seat area when the car is in tall mode.

However I think time is running out on me. This evening I may bite the bullet and purchase a new 2009 Mazda3 instead of the Fit or Clubman. Mazda has some ridiculously good deals to move the cars from their lot. Almost too good to pass up.

Thanks for all the helpful info.

 

Hi all you Fit Freaks!

Well I'm somewhat sad to say that I won't be purchasing the Fit. While I love the car I got such a good deal from Mazda on their closeout 2009 3's that I couldn't pass it up. I know when I see a Fit rolling down the road I will have a small twinge of regret because the car is just so darn clever in it's design. You all have a great car and a great forum. Thanks for all the info you shared with me. Enjoy!

Zoom-Zoom!!!!
Beer Baron

 

LOL. The mazda3 5 door is actually not too bad either. 5 doors for the win! maybe you'll get a Fit in another 5 years(if still in production) maybe it will be something gangster.

 

three bikes!
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...er-vs-fit.html